How SaleBhai uses social media marketing to impress and attract new customers

With its operational customer service based in Bangalore, the startup is following the footsteps of Flipkart by making innovation its strength. By: Medha Gupta

KORAMNGALA: Marketing gets redefined on social media as companies devise unique and innovative ways of befriending the audience. SaleBhai is the new kid on the block that has launched its teaser campaign on Facebook like scores of other startups in India. But what sets it apart is the unusual route it has chosen to take. How would you respond to a post from a startup that does not talk to you about the products it has on offer and instead makes you the focus of its campaign. This is primarily apparent from its brief introduction on the Facebook page: "We invite you to undertake an inward journey to rediscover all that is close to your heart". From posting questions like "what is that you desire the most" to asking you to tag your buddies you cannot do without, this startup seems to be working hard on the build-up ahead of its launch. It has been successful in building suspense and anticipation among visitors using creative, fun, and interactive content while leaving much to the imagination.

With focus so far on food specialities, emotions, relationships, sports, spirituality, realty, and nature, the company and its objectives are anybody's guess. With a dog as its display profile, one wonders if SaleBhai seeks to be people's best friend. One has to wait and watch whether the product and services of the new website would do justice to the euphoria surrounding the launch of the website which is just around the corner. With over 20,000 facebook likes already in its kitty, SaleBhai seems to be doing something right. With its operational customer service based in Bangalore, the startup is following the footsteps of Koramangala-based Flipkart by making innovation its strength.

To keep up with their strategy, one of the co-founders of SaleBhai, Purba Kalita, wittingly says, "We preempted many questions that visitors on our Facebook page could ask and came up with smart and playful answers to keep them engaged."

Kalita, who was earlier part of the content team of Flipkart, adds that SaleBhai wants to make a one-to-one connect with its prospective customers. "It is a conversation we are having with the audience. It is immediate and allows us to gauge their pulse. We want them to know that we are here not just to do business but look forward to developing a lasting relationship with them."

"While we are already on Twitter and Whatsapp and would soon be on Instagram, we have consciously made Facebook the mainstay of our initial campaign as it connects with people like no other medium. Since we are trying to play by the heart, social media had to be our focus as it gives you the opportunity to understand your customers well, something only a local baniya could do in the earlier days."

Only time will tell how SaleBhai fares in an environment of cut-throat competition. For now it will be safe to say that they have sailed through the teaser campaign pretty impressively!